McCarthyism? GOP Source Says Majority Whip Drafted Boehner Purge List

A House GOP source has confirmed to Breitbart News that House Majority Whip Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was the one who drafted the secret criteria list House Speaker Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) used in his purge of conservatives from House committees.

The source, someone with inside knowledge of how Boehner conducted the purge, told Breitbart News that McCarthy crafted the list, which included a scorecard of where several conservative members stood on certain votes. According to the source, it’s unclear at this time whether McCarthy made the list of his own accord or if he did so at the request of somebody else in GOP leadership – like Boehner or House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.

The source alleges that McCarthy brought the criteria list to the House GOP Steering Committee where it was used to purge four conservatives from their House committee spots.

Thus far, GOP leadership officials have kept the list secret. Michigan Republican Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI), one of the conservatives purged from his House Budget Committee assignment, told Breitbart News that it’s “hypocritical” for Boehner and GOP leadership to keep the list secret while demanding transparency from President Barack Obama.

Leadership officials refuse to discuss the list on the record with press. A spokeswoman for McCarthy has refused a request for comment from Breitbart News about her boss’s role in creating the list.

Ron Meyer of American Majority Action, the group trying to oust Speaker Boehner from leadership, said he’s “not surprised” by the allegations that McCarthy created the list. “The country is tired of backroom deals and secret lists–it’s cronyism, plain and simple,” Ron Meyer from American Majority Action told Breitbart News. “If the GOP Steering Committee is going to oust members based on some litmus test pitted against conservatives, they need to make the list public.”